» Autor: Roberta Matuson

Donald Trump dismisses subordinates on the hit TV show The Apprentice with an abrupt "You're fired!” while millions of viewers applaud his smooth delivery. Try the same thing in your office and you probably won’t get the same reaction. Despite how easy the The Donald makes firing look, most managers still struggle with the process of terminating employees. Here are tips to help you smoothly transition employees out of the boardroom, or wherever they may reside in your organization:

1. R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Living legend Aretha Franklin made this word famous when she sang about it in the summer of 1967 and it still rings true. Being terminated can be as stressful as a death in the family and divorce. Recognize that this will be an extremely difficult moment for the employee and do your best to be respectful.

2. Avoid surprises

Before you terminate an employee ask yourself if you have given this employee every opportunity to improve their weak performance. If you can honestly say you’ve done so, proceed with the termination. If you are unsure of the answer, err on the side of caution and give them one last chance.

When communicating your final warning to the employee, be direct. Let the employee know that if they are unable to turn their performance around within a specified amount of time, their employment will be terminated.

3. Be prepared

It’s easy to get pulled off course when terminating an employee. Plan what you are going to say and stick with your script. You don’t know where this situation will wind up and you certainly don’t want to explain to your labor attorney how you told this employee he or she was one of your stronger players, while simultaneously firing them. This move might have increased Trump’s ratings, but it certainly won’t do much to boost your career.

4. Focus on performance

There probably isn’t a person on this planet that wouldn’t have fired Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth in the first few weeks of the show on season one, based on her attitude. After all, it did appear that she lied one or two times—a week that is. But smart managers know you could find yourself on Court TV if you fire on attitude, rather than performance.

Focus your discussion on performance related issues. For example, rather than telling an employee that you are firing him or her because they have a poor attitude, site specific examples of how their actions have negatively impacted their ability to achieve agreed upon goals.

5. Document, document, document

HR professionals all know the value of documentation. Now if only they could convince others in the organization the importance of these three words.

As managers, you are responsible for protecting the company. Thoroughly document every action, including all performance-related conversations. These sheets of paper could be the difference between winning a lawsuit and giving away last year’s profits to the disgruntled terminated employee.

6. It’s not about winning

Okay, in The Apprentice it is all about winning, but unless your organization is part of a reality TV show, this should not be your ultimate goal. The objective is to smoothly transition the employee out of the organization with as little fanfare as possible.

Experienced managers know that this can be best accomplished when you have the opportunity to offer employee choices. You might be chomping at the bit to say those words, “You’re Fired!” but it’s a heck of a lot easier to have an employee say, “I quit,” not to mention much cleaner from a legal perspective.

If possible, offer the employee an opportunity to resign. This allows them to retain their dignity. They leave the organization on what many will believe is their own terms, while you happily return to the boardroom. If you remember this is about respect—not winning, you may even have employees’ thanking you on the way out. Just like on The Apprentice!

© 2005 Human Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.

Roberta Chinsky Matuson is the President of Human Resource Solutions (http://www.yourhrexperts.com) and has been helping companies align their people assets with their business goals. She is considered an expert in generational workforce issues. Roberta publishes a monthly newsletter “HR Matters” http://www.yourhrexperts.com/hrjoin.cgi which is jammed with resources, articles and tips to help companies navigate through sticky and complicated HR workforce issues. She can be reached at 413-582-1840 or Roberta@yourhrexperts.com.